Midnight Pretenders (BL)

Chapter 13

Physical Education has always been the subject that Serena despised the most.

Ever since in middle school, it was like a curse. She would always somehow find herself in some kind of disaster where she ends up troubling a lot of people around her. And worst of all, even her parents, who have already gotten used to it, had actually set up another separate fund just for those times that Sora might end up again being brought to the town's hospital or in an emergency room somewhere, someday.

"Serena, go to the infirmary. You can no longer run with that knee."

"Serena, what happened to your arm?"

"Serena sprained her ankle."

"Are you okay, Serena?"

In a span of just three years, Serena has already experienced various kinds of injuries ranging from a few light scratches to bruises, to wounds, then to sprains, and a particular fracture she most recently got last year. But the truth is, she was not really this terribly disastrous and clumsy when she was much younger.

It all just started when she got into sixth grade and all of a sudden, her flexibility and athletic skills just disappeared from her body. And since then, she has been the victim of several self-induced injuries that she herself could not even understand why she still keeps on having. And because of such occasions, Serena has also become quite known among the students in the same year as hers for being a total klutz because of her very unhealthy clumsiness and her frequent visits to the school clinic.

Like today.

Out of all the students who could have tripped on their own shoelace, she was the only one who has been fool enough not to notice that she hasn't tied hers yet. So when the curse had taken effect again during their Physical Education class, she found herself in yet another accident. And when she had tried to save herself from the fall (by using her arm), that still caused her an inevitable scratch, to which Dawn—who was walking beside her—instantly becomes concerned with.

"Let's go to the infirmary, Sora-rin. It's bleeding."

Dawn worriedly told her this when she tried to help Serena out. But because Serena was such a stubborn girl, she strongly refused her offer.

"I'll be fine," Serena hasn't really meant to come off slightly strong when she unintentionally raises her voice at Mitsuki and she immediately felt guilty after doing so. So she quickly tried to smoothen her words again with an uncertain smile.

"Don't worry. I'd get back. It's just a scratch."

She tried to give Dawn an awkward "thumbs-up" before she slowly turned and walked her way back to the school building alone. She wasn't mad because Dawn wanted to help, she was mad because she was so embarrassed about what happened. But it still isn't an excuse to be that rude to Mitsuki and Sora thoughtfully decides to talk to her again after she's done with her wound.

She feels remorseful with how she had just thrown those words at her worried friend. And as Serena tried to think of how she would apologize, she blindly opened the door of the infirmary and enters it.

"I'm here again." She said this phrase so casually as if it has become a habit when she steps into the clinic and bows at Dr. Peters, the school's doctor, who then turned on her chair by her desk to look at Serena from the corner of the room. She wasn't even surprised that the young girl has come today. Dr. Peters already expected her.

"Fifty-five," The female doctor quickly pointed out without even minding to utter a greeting back at Serena, as she stood from her seat to check on her, "That's the total of your growing list in my databook so far, Sora-san."

"It's just a scratch this time," Serena explained defensively. Fifty-five? She didn't actually expect that big count. Has she really been in and out of the clinic for that number of times since seventh grade? Wow.

"Well, don't be overwhelmed by the number. It's still far ahead to even break any world record yet," Dr. Petes bluntly told her, and even though she really did not show any much of an expression on her face, Serena took it as the doctor's way of teasing her lightly.

"I know." She replied to Dr. Peters with a sly smile as she let her study the wound on her arm.

"I've got to say, I'm impressed. It's such a rare thing for you to just get a small scratch," the doctor thoughtfully commented, then she let go of Sora's arm and gently guided her to the vacant seat near her desk.

"Oftentimes, you usually get a bad sprain or a gash. But still, we need to disinfect that. Well... you already know the drill."

Oh, yes. She really knows. Without another word, Serena just took the seat Dr. Peters gave her and waited for her to get the medical kit. The doctor walked towards a cabinet across the room and took out a white box inside, then she returned to her desk and sat on her own chair as she put on her gloves before taking Serena's wounded arm so she could clean it. She eventually started tending the scratch below Serena's elbow in comfortable silence.

Just when they were about to be done with the whole thing, someone suddenly opened the door of the infirmary from the outside and the person who entered from the doorway paused as both Serena and Dr. Peters turned to look at who it was. They both gave the person a blank look and didn't even speak for a moment. Serena just blinked a few more times before she eventually realized that the person who just came in was actually Theo.

"Hey..." Theo's voice, which has sounded evidently confused and a little worried, was the first thing to finally cut through the silence as Dr. Peters slowly let go of Serena's arm and stood from her seat again.

"What brings you here?" She asked as she walked towards the door with the same expressionless face.

"Uh..." Theo trailed off as he tried to come up for an answer. He unconsciously shifted his weight to his other foot as he hesitantly raised his right arm and coyly admitted, "I think I sprained my hand?"